Chapter 22: chapter 21

“For the next two weeks, I’m going to train you. I’m going to push you to your limits and then some. I won’t let up and you all know why. I’m set on keeping you all alive so you must do exactly everything I tell you to do. Do you understand?” I say.

All the men nod or answer a simple yes. I nod my head approvingly. We’re all on an airplane that’s taking us to Sobreviver Island. We only have a month so I need to work quickly. We left right away.

One of the men in the back raises his hand.

“Yes Davis?”

“You said ‘for the next two weeks.’ What about the other two weeks?” He asks.

“The last two weeks will be a survival test. I’m going to split all of you into groups and spread you throughout the island. Each group is going to work together and defeat the other groups. You will get paint guns and only a short supply of food. After that, you have to fend for yourself and your teammates. You have to find your own shelter. You have to survive and you have to defend yourself.” I say.

The men’s faces become pale. A few start talking back before I put my hand up to silence them. They quickly close their mouths.

“I know it’s going to be very difficult but it’s the only way for me to see if you can survive this mission. I’m doing this for you, not just to torture you. So please bear with it and just try your best. Also, don’t leave a teammate behind. This is also to strengthen our teamwork.”

“Will you be participating in the survival test?” A soldier yells from the back.

“No I will not. I’m going to watch over all of you using the cameras that are spread all over the island. I will not help you either. Actually, I’m going to be throwing things in your way and see how you handle them. Besides that, I’m just watching to see how my training will help you men in the end. It will help you all immensely but I don’t know if it will be enough for the mission. But it’s the only chance we have so we have to do our best.” I say.

Only a few men nod while the rest just stay silent and have a dark gloom on their faces. This has to work. It just has to.

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Once the plane lands, I have the men pick their beds and then we got started. I had the men do a 1v1 against each other. I wanted to see where their strengths and weaknesses were. I also paired the strongest with the weakest. It’s the only way to see how they truly do with teamwork.

The first day only consisted of 1v1 battles. The rest of the day, I let the men survey the island. They need to be cautious and understand why this island is called Sobreviver in the first place. The island is like a jungle. The climate is very humid and there are cliffs throughout the place. The laboratory is underground and can do many things, including changing the weather. I’ll be there for the whole two weeks, watching for progress. There are also some wild animals. Nothing too bad until I put in the obstacles.

The first night was brutal, many men couldn’t sleep. I had to change their diet too. They need as much nutrients as possible. If they thought army food was bad, they’re going to hate the food I have planned for them. They’ll all probably despise me by the end of this month but if that’s the price I have to pay, I’ll gladly take it. Unfortunately, General Dalch and his little second-in-command decided to tag along. I couldn’t really say no. I just hope they don’t get in my way. Wishful thinking.

The next few days consisted of fighting techniques and basic survival skills. We all woke up at dawn and didn’t stop till sunset. The second week consisted of multiple simulations and workouts. It helped them with quick thinking. I won’t be able to watch all of them. They’ll need to make decisions on their own. Even the hard ones.

General Dalch watched it all. He kept getting that gleam in his eyes. I don’t know if it’s good that he knows how I’ve been trained but nothing I can really do. It’s not like all my techniques were revealed. Thankfully I had Gale and since he’s been through the same thing, we were able to split them into groups and be able to focus on everyone individually. Recently though, General Dalch has kept giving me looks. I don’t know what they are and I don’t want to find out.

Two weeks have gone by now and tomorrow is the first day when the men go out into the wild and survive. I’ve put together a plan on what to do each day and put different people’s weaknesses together. My team won’t be together. They already know how to work together. They need to be split up. They need to learn to work with the others, even if they are more capable than the others.

It’s late at night and I’m going to need to get some rest soon otherwise I won’t to be able to really pay attention tomorrow. Everyone should be asleep. I let them go rest today, letting their bodies relax before it all really begins. A knock at the door makes me look up and I see the least person I want to see. Robert grins at me and comes in without my invitation. He sits on my desk and looks at me.

“Yes Mr. Palinski?” I ask.

“Why are you still up Anna?” He asks.

I narrow my eyes at him. “It’s General Berndt. And to answer your question, I’m preparing for tomorrow.” I say coldly.

“You really think they’re ready Anna?”

I sigh. “What do you want Robert?” I ask.

He grins and leans closer to me. “I want your help with something.”

“And what could you possibly need my help with? I’m sure you’re capable of doing it yourself.”

“Not necessarily. I need a Generals opinion.”

“And why not ask General Dalch?”

“He’s busy.” Robert just shrugs.

I don’t trust it. But it’s not like he can do much here anyways.

“Alright. What do you need?” I ask.

“I need you to look at the information we gathered from the French. You do need to make a game plan for the upcoming mission.”

“I have an idea but if you have some useful information, I wouldn’t object.” I say.

His smile widens. “Perfect! Let’s go now.”

He walks out and I follow, locking the door on the way out. Never can be too careful. He leads me down a set of stairs and many hallways till we end up in a small office with only a desk with a chair and folders on the desk. Well this place hasn’t been used in a long time so I shouldn’t be surprised by the lack of décor. Robert shuts the door and locks it. I look at him questioningly.

“For privacy. Don’t need anyone disturbing us.” He says. Very creepily, I might add.

I shrug and look back at the desk. I grab the closest folder to me and open it up. Shivers go down my back when I find a picture of someone and all the data collected on them. The thing that made me on guard was that the person is me. I drop the folder and turn around just in time to see Robert right in front of me. He pins me to the desk, him hovering over me. I tried to get out but somehow he was able to keep me down. That should be almost impossible. I look up at him with a glare as he just smirks at me.

“What is this?” I ask coldly.

“Just gathering some information. You see, General Dalch is very interested in you and would like to know more about you. I told him I’d help him if I was allowed to have my own little fun.”

I shiver at his lecherous smile.

“Someone needs to be taken down a peg. You really think you’re all that just because a few men treat you kindly. This is a man’s world. Woman like you really piss me off and need to be taught a lesson.” He traces his finger down my jaw. He keeps his eyes trained on me as his hands wander over my body. I struggle more and more and realize it’s useless to get out of his grip.

“You really think that you could escape my hold?” He asks.

“How are you able to hold me down? I should be able to get out of everything.” I say.

“You’re right.” He looks down my body then back up to meet my eyes. “That was unless I had the same mentor.”

My eyes widen while his smile widens.

“Viktor mentored you?” I ask.

“Yep! And I learned from him how to hold someone down like him. And like you.”

I curse. I never thought Viktor would take in another apprentice. Only a couple were worthy enough to learn from him. I was one of the lucky few. He was the hardest mentor you could have. Why the hell would Viktor train a man like Robert? It then hit me. I can’t get out of this. But it doesn’t mean I’m going to give up.

Robert slid his hand down to my chest, landing on a breast. He squeezes roughly and I grunt. His eyes light up as he goes lower. First he lifts my shirt slightly to touch my stomach. He caresses it for a minute before punching it. I lose my breath and Robert continues. I try to move as much as possible but his hold won’t budge. He was taught well. His hand gets to my shorts where he unbuttons it and slowly slides it down to my knees. He grins at my panties and I curse myself for not wearing the appropriate pants. I thought since it was late, it would be fine to get more comfy. That was a stupid decision. Robert touches my panties and that’s when I freeze. Then I lose it. I thrash and scream as loud as I can.

This is not happening. I was trained for this kind of thing not to happen. Was I really going to let this bastard get the best of me? But what could I do? I’d rather die than let him get any farther. If only I could break his hold, then I would be fine. But how? I searched the room but knew there was nothing there. That’s why this place is so barren. Less things to use. This room is too far away from the barracks to be heard. No one is coming. Since when did I start relying on people? It was never like this. Here I’m hoping someone comes to my rescue when I’ve learned you can only rely on yourself. But they’ve proved me wrong. Time and time again. So what do I do now? How do I get out of this? I can’t accept this. I won’t allow this!

Just as Robert tugs on my panties, the door gets smashed in. He stops immediately and turns to see Brock there. My eyes widen and I just realized that I was crying. Brock looks at Robert then me. I don’t think I have ever seen someone so mad in my entire life. The look of rage was terrifying on him and it made even me shiver from fear. Robert loosened his grip just as Brock charges at him. He lifts Robert off me and smashes him against the wall, suspending him in the air from the neck.

I quickly get up and take a hold of Brock’s arm. Brock’s suffocating him and as much as I would love for this man to die, I can’t. I’ll just get blamed for it. Being the first woman in the army, no one will believe me. Or more like, they’ll just say it was inevitable. Robert’s face was becoming a slight shade of blue.

“Brock! Let him go!” I tug at his arm. He doesn’t budge.

“He deserves to die.” He says coldly.

“Even though I agree with you, you can’t. This will just cause more trouble. Look I’m fine.” I say.

Brock just keeps staring at Robert, menacingly.

“Look at me!” I yell.

Brock turns his head slightly and glances at me. I look at him head on, showing him this didn’t faze me even though deep down it did. Brock looks at me for a few seconds before dropping Robert and backing away from him. Brock never breaks his eye contact with me. Robert passed out already and was still breathing. Serves him right. I look at Brock and he has an expressionless face. I don’t know what he’s thinking.

Then all of a sudden, he engulfs me in a hug. A very tight hug, I might add. I was frozen for a moment before I realized he was shaking. My walls crumble and I hold him tightly to me, crying. His arms tighten when he hears me sobbing. I’m so glad someone came. I know I’m not as strong as I say I am. I won’t admit it out loud but I know. And I’m glad Brock isn’t saying it either. He’s just holding me, soothing me, comforting me. He knows me.

He pulls away slightly to look at me and wipes my tears. I give him a watery smile but that just makes him frown. I put my palm on his cheek and he leans into my touch. Brock makes me feel safe. Even after almost being raped, I feel safe just by being in his arms. He’s always here for me.

“How?” I ask.

“I couldn’t sleep. I was walking when I saw you and that little shit were walking together. I went to follow but lost you until I heard you screaming.” His face hardens as he glances at Robert to make sure he’s still down. He is.

“Thank you Brock.” I say quietly.

He just nods and I do something that surprises both of us. I kiss him lightly. It was just a peck but it was enough. It gave me strength. It revived me. I pulled away from the peck only to have Brock grab the back of my head and pull me back to his lips. I’m shocked before accepting it and kiss him back. His kiss is aggressive and possessive and I can understand why. He doesn’t want to lose me. Not like that. Not any way. I invite him in and we deepen the kiss. One hand is behind my head, preventing me from escaping, but I don’t want to. While the other is placed on my hip. I bring my arms around his neck, trying to get closer. This is the first time in a long time that I didn’t want this to end. I just wanted to keep kissing him. I wanted to explore him. Know every inch of him. I wanted him. And I wanted him now.

Brock abruptly breaks away. He still keeps me in his arms but doesn’t try to kiss me again. I look at him questioningly.

“I don’t want to do this right after that scene. I won’t be able to control myself. Not right now. I want to claim you. Show everyone that you’re mine and no one can touch you like that every again. But I won’t. Because I know you still need time. I love you Anna. This is the first time I’ve said and I don’t usually say these kinds of things so don’t forget it. I’ll make you mine after this war ends. Be prepared.” He grins at me with a gleam of mischief in his eyes.

I think I just had a heart attack just because of that smile. He doesn’t usually smile. Sure, he smirks but never a true smile. I don’t know what to say to that confession so I just nod my head and look down. Brock releases me and looks at Robert.

“What do we do with him?” He asks.

“Leave him. If I try to press charges, it will just backfire on me somehow, and possibly you too. I’ll just have to be on my guard and watch my back.” I say.

“Don’t worry. We’ll all always have your back. You can count on that.” He says.

I lightly smile at him. Brock picks up my clothes then takes my hand and we walk out of the room, leaving Robert to himself. I made sure to get those folders though. I’m planning on seeing what General Dalch has on me and hopefully it’s not too much. I’ll probably burns them anyways. I’ll get Robert back another way. He can count on that.

Soooooooo not much to say. Sorry it's been a year since my last update. Not much to say but sorry. A lot of stuff happened in the past year, mostly not fun things. I won't go into detail of it but things are starting to get back on track. I'm not fully in the swing of things yet so don't get too excited about this update. It might be a while before I update again. I tried to make it as long as possible but I don't want to start the little simulation until the next chapter so this is all you get. Probably only going to do one more chapter about being on the island and then going to the final battle. So sorry again for the long absence and hope you enjoy this chapter. At least Anna and Brock finally had a real kiss *wink wink*